Down 4-1 in a seesaw first set to Vera Dushevina and Shahar Peer, Dulko and Suárez reeled of four straight games, lost two straight and eventually took the set in a tie-break. However, Dushevina and Peer would win the second in a tie-break. Then at 5-5 in the match tie-break, the Argentines won three straight points to take a lead they would not relinquish.

Their 76(2) 67(3) 10-6 triumph gave Dulko and Suárez a 3-0 record in match tie-breaks since they joined forces when Suárez returned to the WTA in February after almost five years away. They are looking to make their first final, having lost the other two times they made the semis - in Monterrey and Acapulco.

Defending champion Angelique Kerber and the returning Serena Williams headline the acceptance list for the 2017 Australian Open. Meanwhile, Australian teenager Lizette Cabrera and Luksika Kumkhum have earned the first two wildcards.